How to Word Dedications for a Memorial Plaque

By: Emma Lee

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Memorial plaques are found not only in cemeteries, but also on benches, boulders and buildings. Plaques used in cemeteries provide a less expensive way of marking a grave site, but can still hold the same information. Building plaques often provide information significant to local culture, while plaques at sites such as parks can remember people who contributed to the site's construction or visited it often during their lifetime.

Personal Plaques

Step 1

Start the wording with a phrase such as "In Loving Memory." Plaques used to honor a passing of a loved one often start with words such as these. "Always in Our Hearts" and "Never Forgotten" are two other choices.

Step 2

Place the name of the person on the plaque, and include a nickname in parentheses when appropriate. It is not uncommon for friends to only know a person by his nickname.

Step 3

Include the month, day and year of the person's birth and death, if appropriate.

Step 4

Add a favorite Bible verse or quote. If the verse is short, consider having the complete verse inscribed on the plaque.

Step 5

Give the person credit for an accomplishment, or include an interesting fact about the person's life. You may want to note that the deceased enjoyed her family and friends.

Other Plaques

Step 1

Use "In Honor of" to dedicate a building or site to a person responsible for funding or providing support to the building's construction.

Step 2

Add the year of dedication, for a building. Buildings that are recognized as having historic value, such as an original schoolhouse, should also include the date it was built.